Columnist Peter Benton: Local professional Dolan stringing together wins

Peter Benton

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004 | 9:45 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

Call him what you want -- "The Comeback Kid," "The Renascence Man" or just a guy going through his second childhood -- but whatever you call him, long-time Las Vegas professional Kim Dolan of Craig Ranch is playing his best golf for many a long year.

Last week he won low individual honors in the Red Rock Pro-Member with an even-par round of 72 to register his second consecutive victory on the local pro scene.

Matt Grobe (Rhodes Ranch), Travis Long (SouthShore) and Mike Messner (TPC Canyons) shared second place with 74s.

In the pro-am segment of play (a one low net and one low gross format), Dolan's team of Junior Sealy, Marty Barrett and Katy Barrett prevailed with a score of 130.

Nick Spiegel (Durango Hills) along with Scott Sutton, Craig Durno and Christine Teates tied for second at 134 with the team of Mike Davis (Walters Golf), Zach Thompson and Bob Karionas.

It came on the 148-yard, par-3, 17th hole at the Las Vegas Country Club when his perfectly struck 8-iron shot unerringly found the bottom of the cup.

Rounding out the top five placings were Vijay Singh ($27,820,923), Davis Love III ($26,614,146), Phil Mickelson ($25,111,206) and Ernie Els ($19,622,767).

Hale Irwin with $24,546,599 led the Champions Tour (that's both regular and senior tour earnings.) Gil Morgan had $18,011,034, Tom Kite $16,721,018 and Larry Nelson $14,445,995.

Career winnings of other notables are: Ray Floyd, $13,959,972; Lee Trevino, $13,177,791; Craig Stadler, $10,961,271; Jack Nicklaus, $9,060,613; Gary Player, $7,658,638, and Arnold Palmer, $3,609,893.

It seems rather ironic that Nicklaus, with 70 PGA Tour victories including 18 majors, 14 international and 10 Senior PGA wins only officially amassed that $9 million-plus figure; while "The King," Palmer, and his 60 PGA Tour victories, including seven majors and 13 International titles totaled his rather meager $3,609,893.

I fully realize that everything is relative, but I sincerely hope the present-day players appreciate just how fortunate they are with the money now being offered and available for them to win because of the groundwork laid by our present day Senior players. They made golf the spectator sport that it is today.

Mark McCormack, who devised and created the Official World Golf Ranking, chaired the board until his death last year. His company, IMG, has been responsible for managing and producing the weekly ranking, which is now endorsed by the four major championships and the six professional tours -- including the PGA Tour -- which make up the International Federation of PGA Tours.

The Official World Golf Ranking and IMG also agreed that the proprietary interest in the Official World Golf Ranking will be transferred to a new incorporated company, Official World Golf Ranking, which will be based and administered from the Wentworth, England, headquarters of the European Tour.